I'm a new graduate-I need your advice!

[mjwRN3]

Hi All,

I graduated in May with my BSN and am currently working in a Family Birth Center. I have been doing mother/baby for only 2 months and will start to orient in the NICU in a few weeks. I have discovered that floor nursing may not be my niche. I know that as a new grad I'm going to be overwhelmed and stressed anyway, but if I feel I already don't like it, is it too soon to look for other jobs? I'm going to stick things out at least until my NICU orientation is finished and see if that changes my mind at all, but when that is finished (end of November), if I'm still not liking it is it acceptable to look for something different? Patient care in general may not be the area of nursing I need to be in, but I'm also not really sure what area I want. All I know right now is I hate the crazy hours I'm working; I would like to have a normal schedule (who wouldn't!). Working holidays and weekends is not for me.

What is your advice?

Thanks!

[VANurse2010]

You can do clinic nursing but those jobs either (a) require in-patient experience or (b) will pigeon-hole you into clinic nursing because you don't have acute care skills. Additionally, the pay and hours are better, but the pay is much lower.

You are not qualified or experienced enough for most of the away from the bedside jobs.

[ILUVFLRN]

I work in the OR. Monday-Friday 7:00am - 3:00pm. Perhaps there is a hospital in your area that is willing to train you for a perioperative position. Good Luck!

[Ruas61, BSN, RN]

Perhaps school nursing might be your niche. Do you have a PHN as part of your BSN? Do you have issues with patient interaction in general or just bedside?

[mjwRN3]

I did enjoy my rotation through school nursing. We covered public health in our program..I'm not sure how much more public health education I would need for school nursing. I would say bedside is the part I don't enjoy. I think I just need to find something outside of a hospital...unless I would be in the OR-quick turnover.

[mariebailey, MSN, RN]

Have you heard of Nurse Family Partnership? It is a federally-funded, research-based, awesome program that hires nurses to provide maternal/child care for first-time, low-income moms & moms-to-be. We had the program at a health department where I worked. You would have typical M-F hours with no weekends or holidays. The pay was better for those NFP nurses than for the rest of us PHNs too. Maternal and Early Childhood Health Programs | Nurse Family Partnership - NFP Good luck!

[firstinfamily, RN]

I'm afraid weekends and holidays are just the normal with nursing. It is the nature of the beast, it sounds like you need to look outside of acute care, but the experience of acute care will have to open the doors for you. Try to hang in there a little longer. I have a nurse friend who was an LPN and just finished her BSN and really wants mother-baby but cannot get into it because she does not have prior experience. How did you as a new graduate get into mother-baby? Isn't it a more positive part of nursing? I know it is like floor nursing, but it seems this would be a much happier environment than med-surg or tele etc. Regular hours during the week monday-friday is very hard to find in nursing. Good luck!!

[mrwatson2012]

Go into school nursing! I work full time as a school nurse at a charter school and per diem at a sub acute facility. I get my weekends and holidays off! And work at the subacute when ever I need to/want to.

[laKrugRN]

I'd give floor nursing a try. It's only been 2 months. If you absolutely hate it, keep getting experience while you search for something else. Clinic nursing may be for you, but the grass is not always greener. I recently left my clinic job and am going to 3-11, with holidays and weekends. I knew the clinic was not for me at this point in my life. I want to get some skills and feel comfortable. (I am a new nurse too! ) :)